| NEWS RELEASE |
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Office of External Communications |
Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Angie Joe |
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Three Houston immigrants who have made an impact in the community will be honored at the University of Houston Law Center’s 2nd Annual Arrival Awards Dinner Tuesday, Nov. 16. The Law Center will salute Ali Saberioon, Farouk Shami and Don J. Wang for their continuing contributions to the community and the nation in general. Ali Saberioon, a native of Iran, is president of Sabco Oil and Gas Corporation, a Houston-based oil and gas production company. He is also the founder and a major contributor of the Iranian Medical Relief Foundation (IMRF), a charitable non-profit organization in Houston dedicated to helping people in need. Farouk Shami is chairman of Farouk Systems, a Houston-based company that manufactures professional hair care products. Shami developed his products using family formuals, and through hard work, built Farouk Systems into a company that posts revenues of $400 million per year. Shami is of Palestinian descent. With his friend entertainer Kinky Freidman, Shami founded Farouk Friedman Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Holy Land. They are marketing this Israel-produced oil and are dedicating profits to improve relations betweens Jews and Palestinians. Don J. Wang is chairman, chief executive officer, and president of MetroBank and its holding company, MetroCorp Bancshares, Inc. He is chairman of the Chinese Senior Estates/Senior Housing Project and co-chairman of the Asian and Pacific Island Division of the United Way. He is a native of Taiwan. The awards dinner, held at the Intercontinental Hotel’s Legends Ballroom, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception followed by dinner and a program at 7 p.m. The proceeds of the Arrival Awards Dinner will benefit the Immigration Clinic at the UH Law Center. The Immigration Clinic has assisted hundreds of immigrants and refugees who could not otherwise find legal representation, while serving as a teaching laboratory for aspiring lawyers. On a pro bono basis, the Immigration Clinic represents refugees seeking asylum before the Immigration Court and immigrant victims of domestic violence. It also assists U.S. citizens and permanent residents petitioning to obtain lawful status for family members from around the world. The 2003 award recipients were Kase L. Lawal, chairman and CEO of CAMAC Holdings Inc.; Ghulam Bombaywala, president of several restaurant corporations and property management companies in the Houston area; and Eduardo Aguirre, Jr., director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. For information please contact Ann Chai Dick at 713-743-2107.
For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom. |
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